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            <MadCap:keyword term="nat firewall" />What is NAT?</h1>
        <p>Because of today's need for increased security, many businesses utilize 
 an initial form of network protection called a firewall to prevent unauthorized 
 access to or from their private systems. Firewalls can be software or 
 hardware based, or they can be comprised of a combination of both. Part 
 of this protection can include the use of a device or application called 
 NAT.</p>
        <p>NAT or Network Address Translation is an Internet standard that enables 
 a local-area network (LAN) to use one set of IP addresses for internal 
 traffic and a second set of addresses for external traffic. A NAT box 
 located where the LAN meets the Internet makes all necessary IP address 
 translations. Additionally, NAT provides a type of firewall by hiding 
 internal IP addresses, and it enables a company to use more internal IP 
 addresses. Since they are used internally only, there is no possibility 
 of conflict with IP addresses used by other companies and organizations. 
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